Improvement in bee-hives



NELSON G. MITCHELL, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 160,695, dated March 9, 1875; application filed February 25, 1875. f

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NELsoN O. MITCHELL, of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BeeHives; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invent-ion relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of the several parts of a bee-hive, whereby any size colon y of bees can be accommodated therein, and controlled at the will of the keeper, and also by which a greater increase of honey can be secured than by other devices now in use; and it consists in providing a hive with a series of sliding comb-frames and dividing-boards or partitions, adapted toactin combination with boxes and glass jars arranged at the bottom of the hive, as will hereinafter be more fully described and set forth.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved bee-hive. Fig. 2. is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the dividing-boards or partitions; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the hive, taken on the line 00 4c of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference occurring on the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the walls of the hive, and B a strip of wood secured to the inner sides of the same. 0 represents the comb-frames, which are of the ordinary construction, and adapted to be moved and adjusted at any desired position upon the strip B. D represents the dividing-boards or partitions, adapted to be moved upon the strip B, and provided at their base with the projecting lugs or feet a. These lugs are pivoted at their upper ends to the board D, in such a manner that they can be turned up out of the way when it is necessary for the bottom of said board to rest directly upon the bottom of the hive. The boards D are also provided at each end with a strip of woolen cloth or rubber, as shown at b, in Fig." 3; At each end of the hive, on the bottom,

are arranged sliding platforms 0, which are furnished with suitable openings at the top, over which are placed the glass jars or boxes E In the operation of my invention the combframes 0 are adjusted upon the strip B at suitable distances apart, between the dividing-boards D and the tops of the same, covered by a cloth. When it is desired to give additional room, suitable to the wants of a growing colony of young bees, the partitions D can be moved back, and an extra comb-frame G be placed in position, and so on until the necessary room is supplied. By this arrangement of parts the working chambers of the hive can be increased or diminished in size, as may be found necessary, and without disturbing the bees at their work. The partitions D being furnished with the strips of cloth or rubber on their ends insures an air-tight joint between them and the sides of the hive, while at the same time the partitions can be easily and noiselessly moved from or toward the comb-frames without disturbing the bees.

It is well known that where the smallest crevice exists in a hive, through which the air will penetrate, the bees will immediately seal the same with wax, and great difficulty has hitherto been experienced in detaching partitions from bee-hives, owing to the bees scaling up the small space which exists between the frame and the hive. By thus covering the ends of the partitions D with cloth, rubber, or other material which will exclude the air, this difficulty is obviated, and also allows of the partitions being noiselessly shifted to any position.

The principal feature of my invention, however, consists in the means employed for forcing the bees in the brooding-chamber down I to the lower part of the hive, and into the honey-receptacles E, arranged on the sliding platforms 0 in the bottom of the hive, whereby I am enabled to secure a greater increase of honey than has heretofore been accomplished by those devices now in common use.

The operation of the several parts may be described as follows: When it is desired to fill the boxes and glass jars E with honey, one or more of the comb-frames G can be removed, the bees shaken off into the hive, and the partitions D moved up to the remaining frames A. 1. MORSE.

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